NEW DELHI: In his first official trip out of the capital since becoming Prime Minister of India, V.P. Singh went to Amritsar to pray at the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, promising to heal “the heavy, bleeding heart” of Punjab state. Thousands have died in confrontations there in the last five years.
In a gesture of reconciliation to a state so alienated it elected separatists to Parliament in the November elections, Mr. Singh told a largely Sikh audience at the shrine, the Golden Temple, that the heart of Punjab needs “a healing touch”.
“The healing touch cannot be brought about at the point of bayonets, but with love, faith and the people’s cooperation.” he said after riding to the temple from the Amritsar airport, in militant Sikh territory, in an open jeep.
Indian reporters accompanying the Prime Minister said crowds surged forward along the route to greet him.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 15, 1989
